The 2012 Stanley Cup Finals are about to begin. It’s the fourth and final round of the hardest trophy to win in all of sports and even though the slogan is ‘It Doesn’t get any bigger than this’, let’s admit it: it could definitely be bigger than this. New Jersey faces off against the LA Kings starting tomorrow night, and while it’s never fun to rain on a Stanley Cup Parade, this match up is disappointing to some and completely uneventful for others. For some hockey fans, this series won’t even be a blip.

So how could it have ended? What other great storylines could we be following despite the 30 degree heat? Here’s a few that will surely get some bites:

(1) St. Louis comes out of nowhere to beat everyone. What a story that would hve been. Anyone who’s heard even one good thing about Captain David Backes knows that this is a great storyline, taking a no-name team with standout management and a Captain who flies, rescues and is a mathematical genius to boot, all the way to the holy grail of hockey. Breathtaking.

(2) Washington does it without Ovie. Or should I say, Washington does it in spite of Ovie? Jokes aside, the Capitals charged back into the post-season with less ice time for their superstar and proved that less is more when he made good use of his time and put up points- something that hasn’t happened in previous disappointing playoff runs.

(3) Giroux rules the Relentless Flyers. Who wouldn’t have loved to have seen Giroux continue tearing up the league in the post-season? He would have kept the entire team going and Bryzgalov’s post-game interviews, if they Flyers would let him loose, would have entertained us all the way to the end.

(4) It’s 2011 all over again. Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks series caused some serious rage and a lot of us would have liked to have rewritten that ending with one for the twins. Speed overcoming brute strength? That’s a season ending most of us dream of. Canucks in 6 would have been THE story.

(5) Cardiac kids final attack. You want to talk underdogs? The Ottawa Senators were supposed to spend more time in the basement of the standings world than World of Warcraft gamers. And yet, they played with grit and determination and almost toppled the Rangers in the first round. Young and hungry, this would have been a great Cup contender.

(6) Phoenix wins the Cup. This storyline would only have been worth following to hear the deafening boos while Bettman presents the Cup to himself. Projectiles would be thrown. Riots would ensue. And Phoenix is still stuck with that bad arena deal, prize or no prize. It would be the most bizarre ending to a season ever.